National Theatre
118 Monroe Street,
Detroit,
MI
48226
118 Monroe Street,
Detroit,
MI
48226
6 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 28 comments
2017 article with photos.
https://www.detroitnews.com/picture-gallery/news/local/detroit-city/2017/12/06/the-national-theatre-building-designed-by-albert-kahn-in-1911/108367584/?fbclid=IwAR30VKlFCqtwMsiDxqne7HS2gdivpTi7A-vrJcZm3oShSocVeY_zagm5KW8
1911 photo and copy added, credit D Tour 313 Facebook page.
The proposed multi-million $ development of the Monroe Block might incorporate the façade of the National into one of the new buildings.
Undated photo added. August 2016 article, and a related website below as well.
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2016/08/30/national-theater-time-ticking/89617854/
http://historicdetroit.org/building/national-theatre/
September 24th, 1911 grand opening ad with photo in photo section.
I recently photographed the National. Check out some photos and a short write up at After the Final Curtain
I just learned of this theatre in Detroit and the Michigan Theatre…such a shame.
Here is a page for the National Theatre at the web site Buildings of Detroit. There are links to galleries with vintage and modern photos.
View link
New photos I took on May 29, 2010. Theatre looks a little rough,,,
I’m a Three Stooges Fan Club member, trying to confirm a personal appearance by the “3” Stooges (Moe Larry and Shemp), on a bill with Wee Bonnie Baker, the Barretts and Don Hooton, after an appearance by the A.B. Marcus Revue. The movie “Queen of Burlesque” was also shown. I have a display ad, but no dates (or town shown). Believe it was the Summer of 1946, and may have been Shemp’s first appearance after Curly’s strokes. The National was advertised as air cooled and showed a phone number of JA-7863.
Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks Frank Reighter
I thought that this theatre was supposed to be restored soon.
I found some more pictures here
View link
Interior cleaning and work has been takeing place since the summer, rumor is a dinner theater will be coming.
One can only hope, though the interior will never be how the national was if it were to take place, or at least I don’t think it will be.
Looks like I get to see my faces and towers cleaaned after all.
Over the past month or so they’ve been doing more work. Looks like it’s being performed by ChezCore.
The whole facade, top-to-bottom including the golden crown of the towers is clean! Now if only the terra-cotta could be repaired, parts repainted, the light bulbs replaced, we could have an alive National.
Here are some relatively contemporary photos:
http://www.agilitynut.com/05/6/detrth.jpg
http://www.agilitynut.com/05/6/detrth2.jpg
http://www.agilitynut.com/05/6/detrth3.jpg
I should add that the facade wasn’t cleaned well and not very complete. They basically cleaned the areas under the little mini roof on the facade. They didnt bother to clean the towers (which are still filled with grime and grime)
Thy should have cleaned it all and lit it like it was back in that day
Scaffolding down, a nice white, clean facade has risen.
Here are two site I found:
http://atdetroit.net/forum
and here is one on theater organs – not specifically just for detroit
http://barton.theatreorgans.com/s.htm
Scaffolding has been erected on the exterior for about a month.
He owners are tapping into a facade improvement grant.
It will be nice to see the facade all restored, hopefully.
Currently just facade improvements to make it look nice for the super bowl. They have a grant to fix it up.
Look for something to happen when they get some investors.
I was visiting downtown this past weekend and saw a crew of workers putting up scaffolding along the front of the building. Something is obviously happening with the theater. When I asked one of the crew members, he told me they were renovating the building for reuse as a theater. If this is true, I would be thrilled! They had knocked out bricks on the vacant side of the building and put in a garage door. The door was open and my friends and I ventured inside. Nothing has been done yet to renovate the interior, so whatever’s going on is still in the early stages!
I was checking out abandoned building online one time and came across this beautiful theater and instantly fell in love with it. I also decovered that Detroit is full of beautiful old buildings that are abandoned, but this one just realy stands out to me. I seriously hope that sombody steps in and restores this work of art before its too late.
If I remember correctly, the owns plan on making the theater to showcase African-American history or something to do with Arfican-Americans, and build condos on the top.
Good interior photos at View link
Here is a couple of historic pictures of one of my favorite theaters in its hey-day:
1
2
3